Customer Reviews

NIV Compact Reference Bible

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okay, I was a little disappointed with the limited info in the item description before I bought this, so I'll help you out. This ended up being exactly what I was looking for in a pocket-sized Bible -- the leather cover has a very nice, soft feel to it and gives the Bible a very stylish and simple look. It has red lettering for Christ's words, includes a center column on each page which references various verses to one another, a black ribbon bookmark, a "Dictionary/Concordance" in the back, and also a theme-based "Bible verses for daily life" section in the back. There are also occasional maps & info pages throughout the bible and an intro to each book with general info like author, date of writing, theme, etc. There is a small margin around the text on each page to write notes, etc., but not much. The extras are not as robust as your typical Study Bible, but much better than most of the other Bibles I've looked at, especially in this size. Overall, I'm very very pleased with it.

This Bible is probably the most thorough compact Bible you're going to find. I found that the maps, concordance, and the historical/literary introduction with a summary at the beginning of each book to be the most helpful. (I don't know why they don't stress the latter on the front of the cover box.) It's also the smallest (width- and lengthwise) I encountered with both the NT and OT (I went to several bookstores). Yes, the print is small, but it's the biggest print you'll find among compact Bibles-- I haven't had trouble reading it, and I think it manages to keep a reasonably-sized print by having more pages (it's a little thicker than most-- about an inch thick.) It's also durable. One word of advice: more than likely you're getting a compact Bible because you want to cram it (for lack of a better term) in your purse, backpack, pocket, or whatever and carry it around. I have the leatherbound kind with no flap, and although it's still in one piece after 2 years, all the pages keep getting crinkled and squashed. I love this little thing, but if I were to buy another, I'd get the one with the flap. (IBN 0-310-90810-8.) As for the edition itself, it's great!

This is actually a pocket-sized Bible (both the Old and New Testaments), and it has a small concordance/dictionary at the back, words of Jesus in red letters, and in the center of each page are references to other verses. For instance, it might tell you the chapter and verse of a similar miracle of Jesus, or perhaps the same event in another of the synoptic Gospels.

Not bad, I say. I wonder why it isn't more popular? Oh, and a word of warning. The type is pretty darn small. Even if you have perfect eye-sight it's not exactly 100% easy to read. You kind of have to strain just a tad bit. The paper is a bit think for my tastes, but gosh, it can't really be helped.

Feel free to e-mail me any questions. I still happily recommend this.

This is the best compact Bible I have ever owned. Usually, Bibles this size have flimsy covers that either wear out or tear in a matter of weeks.

The duo tone leather of this Bible is durable and holds up under wear and tear. The words of Jesus in red letter is a nice addition, and the Bible is very light and easy to carry. It is a little too big to stuff into your pants pocket, but women will be able to fit it into their purses and it should be small enough to fit into most coat pockets.

As with other compact Bibles, this is not the Bible for you if you have trouble with small print. I have shown this Bible to the older members in the congregation, and they laugh and say, "There's NO WAY I could read that Bible!" One person said, "I would need a magnifying glass."

But I like small print Bibles because it forces me to concentrate harder on the text. It sounds weird, I knowm but I actually retain what i read better with the smaller print Bibles.

This is a good Bible to carry when making home ministry visits. Some people unaccustomed to pastoral visitation may be uncomfortable with a visitor who is carrying a big honking KJV Bible, especially when they thenselves either don't own one, or are not active in the practice of the Christian faith.

If you don't mind small print, then you will be very pleased with this version of God's Word.

I agree with another reviewer, that information about the NIV Compact Bible was a bit sparse. I bought it largely based on the reviews given here, so thank you to all who reviewed it before me! I was very impressed with it.

It has all the features of larger Bibles, with the centre-page cross-reference system that NIV is famous for, and a mini-concordance at the back. The print is good and still readable, though it is on the small side, being a compact Bible. The pages are arranged in the familiar NIV Study Bible layout.

Each book in the Bible has the usual NIV introduction to it, which may or may not be useful to some.

The cover is leather,(as stated), and it is finished in matt, with no shine to it. It is soft and flexible, and feels nice, actually. The quality is very good, and it looks quite elegant.

"Compact" is an apt description for this Bible. It could easily fit in a handbag or sachel, but you would need a decent sized pocket to get it in. However, it would fit in most coat pockets, I think. It is quite light, and it is definitely more compact than most "compact" Bibles that I have seen about.

This Bible would be excellent for prayer portability, and just having something with you to whip out if you have a moment to read and relax in the day. It would not be a problem to constantly carry it with you. With all the features of the NIV Bible, it is a great little book. I love the thing.

This is the perfect Bible to carry with you anywhere and it's the best value. I've gotten several for myself and one for my mom.

What I really like about this Bible is the feel of it in my hand. You feel like you can have the Bible with you at all times. It's so light and convenient. It makes reading the Bible easy and you can carry it anywhere. You don't feel like you're lugging something around. I just stick it in my jacket pocket and it's not a burden to carry in your hand. I've had other larger Bibles, but I never read them. I always go for this compact reference Bible even at home. The small print is still easy to read and my eyesight isn't as good as it used to be.

I'm from one of those Christian families that own at least 50 Bibles of different size, font, edition, binding etc. And this is by far my favorite one.

I have the leather bound one with a protective button flap, and its great because I don't have to deal with ugly damaged edges and pages that keep getting folded over. It is small, portable, and fits snugly in the hands. Unlike the huge bulky intimidating Bibles that weigh half a brick, this has a certain approachable and personal feel to it because of it isn't so domineering. The font isn't too small, but I wouldn't recommend it for people who normally use magnifying glasses to read. Most importantly, this Bible does not compromise its content for size.

Overall good, except that the "Dictionary/Concordance" is quite limited. If you're expecting the useful concordance found in many NIV non-compact editions, you'll be disappointed. Wish I could recommend another compact with a worthwhile concordance, but I haven't been able to find one in NIV. And not for lack of trying: strange considering the NIV's popularity.

This edition is compact, but isn't really small enough to be actually pocket-size. Zondervan should print a compact like this but with the fuller concordance. With the same page and font size it would only increase the thickness by around 10%. Surely there's some demand for a compact with useable concordance (easy to find in other translations).

I bought this Bible because of its great (and merited) reviews. The cross-references are extensive and helpful for study, the dictionary-concordance, while not as good as a study bible, is decent and one of the largest ones for its size.

HOWEVER, I bought the leather binding with a snap flap and the binding fell apart within 5 months of genle care. The whole Bible just dislogded itself from the cover. It was printed in China, so I guess you can't expect much. I also met another man with the same problem. I took it to a binding expert who said it was the cheapest, flimbsiest binding they could've possibly put in it.

For the $25 or so dollars, it wasn't worth it. Try to get it in the Italian Leather Duo binding. Excellent Bible other than the binding.